Last-Minute Labor Day Getaways Slideshow

The summertime tradition of seeing a concert at Tanglewood in Lenox, Mass., is celebrating its 75^th summer with a Labor Day weekend concert with Train, Evanescence, and the Boston Pops. Before the show, stock up with some picnic goods at nearby artisanal shops like Nejaime's, which offers a great wine selection in the Berkshires as well as cheese and picnics to go. Then, grab lawn seats to enjoy music under the stars.

Rates: Free (children under 17), 50 percent off Friday evenings for college and graduate students, $10 for adults.

The Grove Park Inn celebrates Labor Day weekend with its annual Labor Day Beach Music Weekend 2012, which includes live beach music, a seafood buffet, and family activities. The Labor Day Package includes two nights in a Property View room, breakfast daily, dinner at the Blue Ridge Dining Room's coastal seafood buffet, tickets to the summer kick-off concert on Sunday evening, tickets to the Saturday concert featuring The Band of Oz, and tickets to three summer concerts.

Rates: Starts at $659 for the two-night package.

The historic The Homestead, which is currently undergoing a $25 million renovation, is celebrating the end of summer with the grand opening of Allegheny Springs, a two-acre attraction with a family pool, whirlpool, and children's pool. The resort's Labor Day Weekend package includes an end-of-summer party with a cookout on the Casino Lawn, live music, and fireworks.

Rates: Starts at $250 per night; based on double occupancy.

The seaside Tides Inn is hosting the seventh annual Art Show highlighting the works of local artists, an old-fashioned ice cream social, and bingo, along with activities like sailing, fishing, biking, and outdoor movies on Friday night. The Family Vacation Package includes accommodations, daily breakfast, a one-hour cove cruise, and tickets to the nearby Steamboat Museum.

Rates: Starts at $379 per night.

The ice-cream themed three-night package at the Topnotch Resort and Spa includes overnight accommodations, two tickets to the Ben & Jerry's Factory Tour (including a free sample), two passes to Stowe Golf Park mini golf, and dinner for two at the Topnotch All-American BBQ Buffet on Sunday.

Check out the celebrity sightings at the Telluride Film Festival while catching future award-winning films before anyone else. Last year, the lineup included the The Artist and Albert Nobbs. The Hotel Madeline Telluride's Festival Package includes a 20 percent discount on room rates and an extensive library of the festival's past screenings that can be rented for free.  

Rates: Starts at $994 for a three-night stay.

Pickering Creek Audubon Center in Easton, Md., affords the opportunity to catch a glimpse of the bald eagle and the endangered delmarva fox squirrel.

Hikers can trek along six miles of trails that wind through the 200-acre Aullwood Audubon Center and Farm in Dayton, Ohio and see a working farm, farm animals, and wildlife along the way.

Photographers can take advantage of the many photo ops provided by the wetlands, forest, and prairies at Trinity River Audubon Center in Dallas. Visitors can join the volunteer "citizen scientist" program, which helps scientists track wildlife.

Take a road trip to some of the most scenic parks in the U.S. The Audubon Center at Debs Park in Los Angeles features more than 140 types of birds in walnut-oak woodland, grasslands, and coastal sage scrub, and the Bartel Grassland in Matteson, Ill., is great for butterfly enthusiasts and spotting rare birds like grasshopper sparrows who return here to nest.

Explore an urban forest and one of the only saltwater marshes on Manhattan's shoreline at New York City's Swindler Cove at Sherman Creek Park.

Located on Maine's largest salt marsh, Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center has canoes for rent, walking trails, and guided and self-guided tours of the marsh.

Explore one of Portland's most delicious destinations, the Portland Farmers Market. The Hotel Lucia Farmers Market Package includes a $25 market credit, a Portland Farmers Market tote, and valet parking.

Rates: Starts at $274 per night.

The 300-acre Mediterranean-style Turnberry Isle Miami is offering a Labor Day weekend package that includes accommodations in a Golf View Room, parking, daily American breakfast buffet for two at Cascata Grill, and a dive-in family movie Sunday evening at the Laguna Pool, which includes kids activities like face-painting and a temporary tattoo artist.

Rates: $199 per night; two-night minimum. For military personnel booking the stay, the following is also included: up to two complimentary vouchers to Burgers, Barbeque & Beer at the Laguna Pool from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 2.

The idea behind the free website HomeExchange is "you stay in my house, and I stay in yours." With 42,000 members, the budget-friendly option eliminates the hotel fee while letting travelers experience destinations in 150 countries like a local. Most of the homes have gourmet kitchens.

The Last Minute Exchange feature lets procrastinators find a swap quickly.

Catch the Labor Day Parade and then stay at the boutique The Bowery House, a boutique budget hotel with single, double, and shared room options. The hotel's newly opened The Bowery Kitchen serves Italian fare with a New York twist, like whole-wheat salmon lasagna with pesto, a three cheese pizza with homemade tomato sauce, and semi-frozen hazelnut brittle with raspberry topping.

Rates: Starts at $69.

The Liaison Capitol Hill, an Affinia Hotel's Wine and Dine Weekend Escape includes a $100 credit and priority seating at Art and Soul, the hotel's restaurant run by Art Smith, a two-time James Beard Award-winner, Oprah's former chef, and Lady Gaga's pal. 

Rates: Starts at $169 plus tax; mention promo code PKGESC.

The Amway Grand Plaza Bed, Beef, and A Bottle package includes a $100 credit at Ruth's Chris Steak House, overnight accommodations for two, and a bottle of house wine in room.

Rate: $259.

Have breakfast in bed with The Loden's Bed and Breakfast Package. Breakfast is created by executive chef Marc-André Choquette and the package includes accommodation, in-room breakfast for two, late checkout, and parking. 

Rates: Starts at $254 (excludes taxes).

The Loden's Stay and Stage package includes accommodation in a king guestroom and the chance to spend a morning exploring Granville Island with Tableau Bar Bistro's executive chef Marc-André Choquette. After returning to Tableau's kitchen with hand-picked market-fresh goods, travelers get to work with Choquette and enjoy dinner for four in Tableau Bar Bistro.

Rates: Starts at $1,750 through Sept. 30, based on the Signature King guestroom category; the Stay and Stage package must be booked five days in advance and is based on a three-hour maximum shopping time frame.

Arenal Nayara Hotel, Spa & Gardens offers travelers 25 percent off from Sept. 1 to Oct. 31 in the Nayara Suite with views of the Arenal Volcano. The package includes a welcome tropical fruit punch cocktail, buffet breakfast, and a three-course dinner.

Rates: Starts at $149 per person per night.

Located across San Francisco Bay, The Lodge at Tiburon's Labor Day Escape includes a two-night stay, daily breakfast, and dinner for two at the newly opened Tiburon Tavern, which takes a farm-to-table approach.

Rates: starts at $168 per night; minimum two-night stay.

Drink like a local with the Hotel deLuxe's Shaken Not Stirred Package. The craft cocktail package includes overnight accommodation and a one-hour class where guests learn the city's cocktail secrets from the bartenders at the Driftwood Room, starting with champagne cocktails and finishing with a pre-Prohibition-era inspired cocktail. The class includes two appetizers and a $25 food and beverage credit for room service, the Driftwood Room, or Gracie's restaurant.

Rates: Starts at $334 per night; available on Friday and Saturday nights only. Classes are offered at noon on Friday and Saturday.

Escape to the mountains at Windham Hill Inn in southern Vermont. The 21-room Relais & Chateaux property has more than 160 acres of land to explore and four trails to run, hike, or bike. The Labor Day Mountain Escape includes a three-course daily breakfast, afternoon tea and homemade scones, evening Vermont cheese board, and private garden tour by a kitchen team member. For an additional fee, guests can arrange to have the kitchen prepare a special Labor Day picnic.

Rates: Starts at $255 per night; based on double occupancy.

You'll probably need more than the weekend to enjoy the four-day and three-night Cook & Dine experience at Paresa Resort. Hidden among the cliffs of Kamala and overlooking the Andaman Sea, Paresa Resort's Cook & Dine package gives guests the chance to learn how to make traditional Thai cooking techniques from the hotel's master chefs. Guests explore the local food market and try local homemade treats before becoming sous chefs and assisting the chefs in creating a four-course meal. Guests can enjoy the meals at Recipe, which boasts 270-degree ocean views. The package includes a two-bedroom suite overlooking Kamala Bay.

Rates: $3,120 for four people.

Eat, sleep, and lay by the pool with SLS Hotel's Labor Day package. The package includes a prix fixe dinner for two at The Bazaar, one of The Daily Meal's 101 Best Hotel Restaurants Around the World, and accommodation.

Rates: Starts at $399.

Orbitz, the travel booking website, has several discounted trips to Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay and ARIA Resort and Casino at CityCenter. Those who book before Sept. 2 get 20 percent off at Mandalay Bay, whose restaurants include Charlie Palmer's Aureole, Michael Mina's STRIPSTEAK, Wolfgang Puck's Lupo Italian, Rick Moonen's RM Seafood, Hubert Keller's redesigned Fleur, and Border Grill, and at ARIA Resort and Casino at CityCenter, whose restaurants include American Fish, Jean-Georges Steakhouse, Sirio Italian, and Bar Masa/Shaboo.

Guests who want to travel to the most magical place on Earth can get 30 percent off for booking their trips on Orbitz before Sept. 2 at The Westin Imagine Orlando, which features Italian restaurant Fiorella's Cucina Toscana.

Orbitz, the travel booking website, has several discounted trips to Boston, including 20 percent off stays at The Back Bay Hotel, which features Irish pub Cuffs and the Stanhope Grille, which features new American cuisine with an Irish edge, like the signature lobster bisque with cognac cream, and 10 percent off stays at Hotel Commonwealth, which boasts the longest marble bar in Boston at Eastern Standard and a grand raw bar at Island Creek Oyster Bar. Book by Sept. 2 for the discount.

The Taste of California package at Hotel Bel-Air offers guests a custom-created five-course tasting menu featuring the best ingredients from local farmers markets served with wines from California's top producers. Guests also receive a keepsake menu signed by Wolfgang Puck. Guests can also order the Bel-Air Basket, a gourmet picnic basket with a three-course meal that can be enjoyed on the hotel grounds overlooking Swan Lake or on a Labor Day excursion.

Rates: Starts at $990; basket starts at $60 per person.

Located amid the white sands of Palm Beach, the Eat, Drink & Be Happy package at The Westin Resort & Casino includes accommodation, daily breakfast for two in Bon Bini Restaurant, daily lunch for two in The Terrace Restaurant, premium alcoholic beverages including Absolut, Bacardi, Jack Daniels, Heineken, and house wines and more plus non-alcoholic beverages, and non-motorized water sports including rafts, snorkel equipment and kayaks.

Rates: Starts at $439; three-night minimum stay; mention rate plan MODAI.

The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, the host resort of season four of Bravo's Top Chef Masters offers the Top Chef Masters Culinary Package, a two-night stay that comes with a custom-designed Cosmopolitan apron along with a $100 credit to use at any of the on-site restaurants, which include Blue Ribbon, Comme Ça Las Vegas, China Poblano, DOCG, Jaleo, Holsteins, Estialorio Milos, Scarpetta, and STK. Guests also get an invite to attend The Cosmopolitan's Top Chef Masters viewing parties at The Boulevard Pool that take place on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. through the season finale on Sept. 26.

To help simplify travel in and out of the LAX airport this Labor Day weekend, guests can park, stay, and fly at Four Points by Sheraton Los Angeles International Airport. The package includes the essentials for jet-setters: five days of parking, shuttle service to and from the airport, accommodation, free coffee and bottled water, and free Internet access.

Rates: Starts at $149 per night; use promo code LPARK2.

Located on the shores of Seneca Lake, the Ramada Geneva Lakefront offers the Finger Lakes Labor Day Escape. The package includes a one-hour excursion aboard the Rose Lummis boat on Seneca Lake, town car transportation for dinner at Steamboat Landing, and a live theater performance at Bristol Valley Theater. A complimentary breakfast buffet is included on Sunday at the Pier House Restaurant at the Ramada and then travelers can trolley along the Seneca Lake Wine Trail for tastings at numerous wineries. After the wineries, guests can head back to the Ramada for dinner at the Pier House. Breakfast at Simply Crepes and a day at Finger Lakes Casino & Racetrack with $100 to get started are also included on Sunday.

Rates: Starts at $972; to book, call the Ramada at (315) 789-0400.

Eat through Labor Day weekend at the Great New York State Fair in Syracuse. The Maplewood Inn offers a Fair Package that includes two New York State Fair tickets, two breakfast vouchers, transportation to and from the fairgrounds (from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.) and double occupancy accommodations.

Rates: Starts at $149 nightly.

Step back in time at Colonial Williamsburg with the Autumn Senses program. Guests can visit the interactive Revolutionary City, see artisans at work, and listen to spine-tingling stories during ghost or pirate evening programs. Guests also get to savor barbecue and regional cuisine. The hotel's [what hotel?] four historic taverns give guests an opportunity to enjoy contemporary menus in an 18^th-century setting complete with strolling musicians, storytellers, and characters. The three-day, two-night package includes accommodation at the Williamsburg Lodge, daily breakfast, tickets to Colonial Williamsburg's Revolutionary City and Art Museums, ghost tour tickets, and an $100 resort activities card.

Rates: Starts at $128 per person; available through Nov. 25.

The Hotel Murano farmers market package includes $25 in coins to Tacoma's Farmers Markets, a T-shirt or cap from the farmers market, a $20 food and beverage voucher, and overnight self-parking.

Rates: Starts at $189 per night.

Located right on the doorstep of Acadia National Park, the Asticou Inn package includes two nights of accommodation, a welcome cheese plate, afternoon tea and treats, and one dinner for two at Peabody's.

The Four Seasons Resort Vail is serving up a Labor Day BBQ package, which includes admission for two adults and two children to the hotel's poolside barbecue and accommodations.

Rates: Starts at $685 per room per night.

Explore one of Portland's most famous (and delicious) attractions, the Portland Farmers Market with Hotel Lucia's Farmers Market Package, which includes a $25 Portland Farmers Market credit, a Portland Farmers Market tote bag, and parking.

Rates: Starts at $274 per night

Park Hyatt Beaver Creek hosts Fridays @ the Park, where executive chef Christian Apetz sets up the smoker grill on the resort's back lawn and slow-cooks brisket, ribs, and turkey, accompanied with local microbrews and hand-crafted cocktails that also feature ingredients from the chef's herb garden. Fridays @ The Park also includes family activities like live music, fly fishing demonstrations, pony rides, and kid-friendly eating contests like watermelon seed spitting, and hot dog and pie eating. Snow cones, popcorn, and other treats are also served.

Rates: Starts at $99 per night.

Guests who book the Experience More package at the Four Seasons Los Angeles receive up to $500 in credit for dining at Culina, Modern Italian, or in Windows Lounge or can put the money toward getting pampered with spa treatments during a two-night stay.

Located on 60,000 acres, Tanque Verde Ranch offers a range of outdoor activities like horseback riding lessons, trail rides, guided mountain bike and hiking tours, nature walks and educational seminars at the ranch's Nature Center, fishing lessons, and outdoor cookouts. The ranch also offers a kids program for children ages four to 12 that includes horse grooming, riding lessons, arts and crafts, and more. All-inclusive stays at Tanque Verde include accommodations, three daily meals, and free access to all of the ranch activities, including the kids program.

Rates: Starts at $175 per person, per night; available through Sept. 15, 2012.